E250 takes title of America's most fuel efficient new car from Prius
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From: Germantown, MD/Rehoboth Beach, DE
2024 GLS450
E250 takes title of America's most fuel efficient new car from Prius
I was reading through my new Road & Track earlier, and I ran across this article.
Not a bad article at all. 7.3 secs 0-60 is better than I have seen the E250 post elsewhere, and it is faster than Mercedes lists.
Not a bad article at all. 7.3 secs 0-60 is better than I have seen the E250 post elsewhere, and it is faster than Mercedes lists.
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From: Las Vegas, NV
2011 E350 Sedan
To be fair though they didn't use the newest plug in prius which is supposed to get better mileage. But in the end it's just like the guy says, what would you rather drive between two cars that are so close. Plus one is light years ahead in tees of safety.
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From: Vancouver, BC
2015 E250 BT 4M
I was reading through my new Road & Track earlier, and I ran across this article.
Not a bad article at all. 7.3 secs 0-60 is better than I have seen the E250 post elsewhere, and it is faster than Mercedes lists.
Not a bad article at all. 7.3 secs 0-60 is better than I have seen the E250 post elsewhere, and it is faster than Mercedes lists.
Suggest you test drive a ML250BT 4Matic and the E250BT 4Matic before you decide. There is no comparison in terms of handling and overall performance: the E250BT is a much superior ride, unless you really need the utility of a truck-like vehicle.
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2018 E300 Luxury - P3 and more
I still wish Merc would bring over the E300 Diesel Hybrid. 65-75 legitimate MPG, 1300 mile range per tank. At that point I might be willing to forgive them for run-flat tires...maybe. If I did get one, I'd have to put an LED display in the back window with "Bet your Prius can't get [XX] MPG"
I wish Benz's marketing team was as good at communicating what the car can do as the Japanese makes. I had NO idea that the Merc hybrids shut the engine off while at highway speeds. All of the other hybrids I've seen need the combustion engine above 25 mph. I dismissed hybrids as most of my driving is highway, but Merc's "sail" mode is very interesting.
Similarly, I've used "intelligent drive" systems in other cars. Distronic Plus (2015) is a good generation or two above everyone else's, BUT it's almost never talked about, especially at the C & E-Class levels. Even on the S, I wonder how many drivers with it truly know how to use it. I extensively used the Stop & Go Pilot feature this week and it made driving through the 'Mouse on I-4 relaxing.
Similar story on the Collision Prevention systems. Currently the 2014/5 E-Class has Euro-NCAP's best performance #s out of any car on the road for autonomous braking. It can prevent rear-ending someone at higher speeds than anyone else, including Volvo, which surprised me....but this doesn't appear anywhere in Mercedes' literature, even lit given to the dealers.
Similar story for the Active Contour Seating. I've been in W221's with the active seats, but the one in my 2015 E350 is superior to what I'd seen before. I bought it for the postural support, but was quite surprised when the "vigorous" massage settings actually were.
I wish Benz's marketing team was as good at communicating what the car can do as the Japanese makes. I had NO idea that the Merc hybrids shut the engine off while at highway speeds. All of the other hybrids I've seen need the combustion engine above 25 mph. I dismissed hybrids as most of my driving is highway, but Merc's "sail" mode is very interesting.
Similarly, I've used "intelligent drive" systems in other cars. Distronic Plus (2015) is a good generation or two above everyone else's, BUT it's almost never talked about, especially at the C & E-Class levels. Even on the S, I wonder how many drivers with it truly know how to use it. I extensively used the Stop & Go Pilot feature this week and it made driving through the 'Mouse on I-4 relaxing.
Similar story on the Collision Prevention systems. Currently the 2014/5 E-Class has Euro-NCAP's best performance #s out of any car on the road for autonomous braking. It can prevent rear-ending someone at higher speeds than anyone else, including Volvo, which surprised me....but this doesn't appear anywhere in Mercedes' literature, even lit given to the dealers.
Similar story for the Active Contour Seating. I've been in W221's with the active seats, but the one in my 2015 E350 is superior to what I'd seen before. I bought it for the postural support, but was quite surprised when the "vigorous" massage settings actually were.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: Vancouver, BC
2015 E250 BT 4M
I still wish Merc would bring over the E300 Diesel Hybrid.
I wish Benz's marketing team was as good at communicating what the car can do as the Japanese makes.
Distronic Plus (2015) is a good generation or two above everyone else's, BUT it's almost never talked about, especially at the C & E-Class levels.
Similar story on the Collision Prevention systems. Currently the 2014/5 E-Class has Euro-NCAP's best performance #s out of any car on the road for autonomous braking. It can prevent rear-ending someone at higher speeds than anyone else, including Volvo, which surprised me....but this doesn't appear anywhere in Mercedes' literature, even lit given to the dealers.
Similar story for the Active Contour Seating.
I wish Benz's marketing team was as good at communicating what the car can do as the Japanese makes.
Distronic Plus (2015) is a good generation or two above everyone else's, BUT it's almost never talked about, especially at the C & E-Class levels.
Similar story on the Collision Prevention systems. Currently the 2014/5 E-Class has Euro-NCAP's best performance #s out of any car on the road for autonomous braking. It can prevent rear-ending someone at higher speeds than anyone else, including Volvo, which surprised me....but this doesn't appear anywhere in Mercedes' literature, even lit given to the dealers.
Similar story for the Active Contour Seating.
Yes, indeed, MB's marketing in North America seems very low-key when it comes to communication of its cars' superior safety and engineering.
The lack of any marketing focus in North America on the outstanding E250BT is just one more example. This car has received the highest rating ever from Consumer Reports for any car with an internal combustion engine. Marketing now seems to be more focused on the latest Lease Rate % and Finance Rate % rather than the attributes of the vehicle itself.
Last edited by DerekACS; Dec 26, 2014 at 05:53 PM.
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From: Florida
2018 E300 Luxury - P3 and more
Considering what a Prius is (a crappy econobox deathtrap), Toyota's charging a premium price for them, yet I don't see sales slumping anytime soon. Sure, some of the mainstream market will forget about MPG as fuel prices drop, but there's still plenty of Hollywood & environmental types who will want it. There's plenty of room in the market for the E diesel hybrid. Hell, I'm not an environmental type but even I want one.
You said it best -- they're focused on Rate %s... BUT that doesn't sell a car.
Reminds me of a saleshole at Mercedes dealership who wouldn't show me a car but kept asking me if I was going to buy a car TODAY. He even asked if taking $5k off the car would make me buy one TODAY. I never could get him to show me a car... How was I suppose to buy a product I'd never even seen? I even told the saleshole this was the first time I'd looked at Mercedes in 20 years.
He DID NOT get my sale and I let everyone I know just how poorly I was treated at that dealership.
You said it best -- they're focused on Rate %s... BUT that doesn't sell a car.
Reminds me of a saleshole at Mercedes dealership who wouldn't show me a car but kept asking me if I was going to buy a car TODAY. He even asked if taking $5k off the car would make me buy one TODAY. I never could get him to show me a car... How was I suppose to buy a product I'd never even seen? I even told the saleshole this was the first time I'd looked at Mercedes in 20 years.
He DID NOT get my sale and I let everyone I know just how poorly I was treated at that dealership.
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From: Vancouver, BC
2015 E250 BT 4M
Actually, there is a strong correlation between gas pricing and Prius sales, both of which have recently been decreasing in North America.
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2010 E350 Sedan, 2010 Prius II
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I had a Prius for 8 years 80,000 miles before getting my E550. Yes, I was overcorrecting but I needed to get something that the Prius wasn't. Still enjoyed my Prius but getting good gas mileage got old after a while. Although it was cheap to operate and held it's value for me when I sold it. Now that gas has dropped so much in price the cost difference is negligible.
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2010 E550, 273 Engine: 2012 S550, 278 Engine
I was reading through my new Road & Track earlier, and I ran across this article.
Not a bad article at all. 7.3 secs 0-60 is better than I have seen the E250 post elsewhere, and it is faster than Mercedes lists.
Not a bad article at all. 7.3 secs 0-60 is better than I have seen the E250 post elsewhere, and it is faster than Mercedes lists.
Prius is a car designed for city driving. On highway there is no advantage of the hybrid system as the hybrid needs use of brakes to re-charge.
It all depends on what kind of driving you do. If you live close to or in a city and seldom get on the highway or other roads without stop-and-go then the Prius is the car for you. It will give the best performance in fuel economy and I don't think E250 Bluetec will come close to these numbers.
On highway things reverse but if the Prius had a diesel engine it would probably beat E250 BlueTec on the highway too.
To test the car's fuel efficiency do it in the environment it was designed to operate at. Prius was developed for city driving where those brake lights are ON very frequently. Would be a nice comparison to see how Prius and E250 compare in a pure city driving test.
By no means am I saying The E250 Bluetec is bad for fuel efficiency as it is excellent for it. The MB diesel is just extremely good engine and for this heavy car to get 50 MPG on highway and probably 35 - 40 MPG in city is just awesome.
Last edited by Arrie; Jan 1, 2015 at 10:54 AM.
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Whatever sells magazines I guess.
Gas mileage is only one factor. I just drove 10 hours from North Carolina to Florida yesterday. First road trip for me in my Benz. There is no comparison in how the two cars ride. After an hour or two in the Prius I was usually ready for a break. When you pass a tractor trailer at 70 in a Prius, you better have both hands on the wheel. Even though I only got 26 mpg in my E550 compared to 42 on the Prius, I will gladly pay more at the pump for that sublime ride.
Gas mileage is only one factor. I just drove 10 hours from North Carolina to Florida yesterday. First road trip for me in my Benz. There is no comparison in how the two cars ride. After an hour or two in the Prius I was usually ready for a break. When you pass a tractor trailer at 70 in a Prius, you better have both hands on the wheel. Even though I only got 26 mpg in my E550 compared to 42 on the Prius, I will gladly pay more at the pump for that sublime ride.
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2010 E550, 273 Engine: 2012 S550, 278 Engine
Whatever sells magazines I guess.
Gas mileage is only one factor. I just drove 10 hours from North Carolina to Florida yesterday. First road trip for me in my Benz. There is no comparison in how the two cars ride. After an hour or two in the Prius I was usually ready for a break. When you pass a tractor trailer at 70 in a Prius, you better have both hands on the wheel. Even though I only got 26 mpg in my E550 compared to 42 on the Prius, I will gladly pay more at the pump for that sublime ride.
Gas mileage is only one factor. I just drove 10 hours from North Carolina to Florida yesterday. First road trip for me in my Benz. There is no comparison in how the two cars ride. After an hour or two in the Prius I was usually ready for a break. When you pass a tractor trailer at 70 in a Prius, you better have both hands on the wheel. Even though I only got 26 mpg in my E550 compared to 42 on the Prius, I will gladly pay more at the pump for that sublime ride.
This thread is about gas mileage and not about how the car is to drive. There is no question which car is better for long haul or even shorter on the highway and basically any sort of driving. Prius can never match that but it may be just superior for couple of mile "hops" in city where there is no need for long sit in the car.
For the fuel consumption tests they should record the fuel mileage for both types of driving and not just the combined but I guess they start doing this after there are more well made U.S. make hybrids available.
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I thought this thread was about the article. While the title of the article mentions fuel efficiency, the article also mentions how each is to drive. In fact, they indicate driving manners as the basis for giving the MB the win.
The Mercedes used half a pint less fuel in mixed-use, real-world, conservative driving. That's well within the "noise" of measurement error, so in fairness, this is a tie. Except we're declaring the Mercedes the winner. We're not picking on the Prius (it's a technological marvel), but it's a car created solely for efficiency, and that shows in its road manners. The $52,634 E250 is a luxury car that just happens to get unbelievable mileage. It's 1001 pounds heavier than the Toyota but feels as if every ounce of that went toward noise cancellation and luxury. And torque: The Mercedes is 2.7 seconds quicker to 60 mph, and it easily climbed mountain passes in top gear with the engine almost completely silent, while the Prius's mooing four-banger was a screaming stress case. Although the fuel economy was effectively tied, the driving experience was anything but. So feel free to tell the Prius owner parked in the left lane that, from behind the wheel of a Mercedes, it is easy being green.
So I thought my comments from my own experience were relevant on how they drive. If I am off-topic to some, welcome to the internet.
The Mercedes used half a pint less fuel in mixed-use, real-world, conservative driving. That's well within the "noise" of measurement error, so in fairness, this is a tie. Except we're declaring the Mercedes the winner. We're not picking on the Prius (it's a technological marvel), but it's a car created solely for efficiency, and that shows in its road manners. The $52,634 E250 is a luxury car that just happens to get unbelievable mileage. It's 1001 pounds heavier than the Toyota but feels as if every ounce of that went toward noise cancellation and luxury. And torque: The Mercedes is 2.7 seconds quicker to 60 mph, and it easily climbed mountain passes in top gear with the engine almost completely silent, while the Prius's mooing four-banger was a screaming stress case. Although the fuel economy was effectively tied, the driving experience was anything but. So feel free to tell the Prius owner parked in the left lane that, from behind the wheel of a Mercedes, it is easy being green.
So I thought my comments from my own experience were relevant on how they drive. If I am off-topic to some, welcome to the internet.
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The other thing to consider (not so much today) is the fuel grade cost. I put medium in my MB and regular in the Prius. I know many put premium in the MB which is even more expensive.
I could be wrong, but doesn't premium gas burn cleaner? If that's true, then yep, the MB is a green monster!
I could be wrong, but doesn't premium gas burn cleaner? If that's true, then yep, the MB is a green monster!
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2021 GLS450, 2015 E250BT 4Matic, 2007 GL320CDI, 2005 SLK350, 2001 SLK320
The other thing to consider (not so much today) is the fuel grade cost. I put medium in my MB and regular in the Prius. I know many put premium in the MB which is even more expensive.
I could be wrong, but doesn't premium gas burn cleaner? If that's true, then yep, the MB is a green monster!
I could be wrong, but doesn't premium gas burn cleaner? If that's true, then yep, the MB is a green monster!
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From: San Diego
2009 E350
When I first read the article, I thought it was just making a statement so outlandish to simply sell the magazine. As has been stated above, both cars are great with the right application. I'm eyeing an E250 diesel.
My wife drives 3 miles each way for work, never going above 40MPH. As of now, I wouldn't consider a diesel for her. Hybrid makes so much sense for her needs.
I'm in San Diego and drive up to LA a few times each month. The E250 would be great. I'd save money over my E350 in the long run. Also, spending 5-6 hours in an E vs Prius is priceless.
My wife drives 3 miles each way for work, never going above 40MPH. As of now, I wouldn't consider a diesel for her. Hybrid makes so much sense for her needs.
I'm in San Diego and drive up to LA a few times each month. The E250 would be great. I'd save money over my E350 in the long run. Also, spending 5-6 hours in an E vs Prius is priceless.
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The other thing to consider (not so much today) is the fuel grade cost. I put medium in my MB and regular in the Prius. I know many put premium in the MB which is even more expensive.
I could be wrong, but doesn't premium gas burn cleaner? If that's true, then yep, the MB is a green monster!
I could be wrong, but doesn't premium gas burn cleaner? If that's true, then yep, the MB is a green monster!
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From: Vancouver, BC
2015 E250 BT 4M
See #56 in the thread "2014 E250 BlueTec Fuel Consumption test", where the photo shows the left front wheel of the Prius coming right through the floor boards, mangling the dummy's legs !
Last edited by DerekACS; Jan 2, 2015 at 06:23 PM.
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From: San Diego
2009 E350
Thanks DerekACS for pointing out that E250 thread. I read it, with interest in this engine for the E350. I believe that photo was from the crash test video from a 2012 model? I'm guessing the latest Prius has enhanced their structure? I wonder if a 2015/2016 Prius would be safer in a crash compared to my 2009 E350?
Raymond, good to hear about your experience with your engine. Keep us updated. I may join your club this year. I just checked Gasbuddy and it shows my local Costco has premium fuel for $2.55 and diesel for $2.59. Does that make purchasing a diesel engine a no brainer? Also what's nice is the Costco has diesel available on every gas pump, so there are 24 pumps to get diesel.
Raymond, good to hear about your experience with your engine. Keep us updated. I may join your club this year. I just checked Gasbuddy and it shows my local Costco has premium fuel for $2.55 and diesel for $2.59. Does that make purchasing a diesel engine a no brainer? Also what's nice is the Costco has diesel available on every gas pump, so there are 24 pumps to get diesel.
